> But many people would be happy with CSV with angle brackets as long as they got all the powerful off-the-shelf tools as well. <personal-opinion> If most of our users could get the following with CSV or S-expressions (I am such a broken record) I'm not sure they'd stick with XML besides the fact that it has been overhyped to death. I think this list of features would include
>
> * Model Based APIs for in memory representation - CHECK [DOM]
> * Stream based APIs for fast processing - CHECK [Pull-based APIs, SAX]
> * Grammer languages for specifying valid content - CHECK [DTD, W3C XML Schema]
> * Query languages - CHECK [XQuery, XPath]
> * Ability to perform regexes against the structure of the content - CHECK [XPath, XSLT]
> * Ability to create fairly human readable serialization - CHECK [XML 1.0 serialization, looks good in IE] </personal-opinion>
Cool. Sounds to me as if you've put some good thought into requirements for a
new language: Web Services Content Language (WSCL).
I can't stress enough that I have no problem with this. I think it would be
very useful for someone to go on to develop WSCL. I think it would be very
laudable for this party to borrow the best ideas of XML. There is even a
decent chance that I would give it a try myself, and perhaps like it.
My main point in this thread is that I do not want XML transmogrified into
WSCL. I see the two as parallel developments. And I don't mind at all if
this parallel is traced back to a fork.
Personally, I think a fork is inevitable, at any rate. If the
WS/WXS/XQuery/SML or other folks don't force the issue, but keep flirting on
the edges of a fork, the XML 1.0 folks might just force the issue themselves.
--
Uche Ogbuji Fourthought, Inc.
http://uche.ogbuji.nethttp://4Suite.orghttp://fourthought.com
The open office file format - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/librar
y/x-think15/
Python Generators + DOM - http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2003/01/08/py-xml.html
4Suite Repository Features - https://www6.software.ibm.com/reg/devworks/dw-x4su
ite5-i/
XML class warfare - http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=6965